New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-18

| thoughts and the minutes obey their own magnet
| Isms and will certainly reveal them IN tiine;
His practrce was, when a sentence had taken
shape 10 write ont in his journal. ana leavet 10
find ITS fellows afterward. These Journals, PACED
! and indexed were the unarry from which he built
1 his lectures and ESSAYS When he mad o paper 10
get eady, he took the material collected under the
particu lar heading and added whatever suggested
| itself at the moment. The proportion thus added
seems TO have varied considerably; 1T was large IN
| the early time. say TO about 1915 anu SOMETIMES
| very small IN she later essays.
There is much of interest, impossible to be noticed
here. concerning his views on religion. his con-
nection with The Dial and the difficulties he expe-
rienced in meeting the practical propositions oil ms
reforming friends who could be satisfied with moth
! ing short of absolute demonstration. IL was not IN
Emerson's nature TO be enthusiastic over the con-
CRETE and he could not change himself lie did in-
deed make some tentative efforts in the direction OF
o simpler life; tried vegetaranism; tired manual
| labor: but gave them up quickly. satisfied that
| however it might be with others they did not suit
| him.
HIS course in regard to abolition is too well
| known TO need recaptulation. The rebellion slim
Mated him. tor the first and almost the only time.
to uncompromising expression. When Fort Sumter
had been fred upon aud all the North was In
| in a fame, " he asked friend to show him the
Charlestown Navy-Yard. and looking round upon
the warlike preparations, he said All sometimes
gunpowder smells good"
His leciuring was forced upon him more and more.
His family was increasing. He kept open house. lie
had 70 buy more land TO protect his view.
For the Hin of his parse the only means he could
| invent was occurring. As his name grew more
| widely known 70 the managers OF the country
| vceums in New England and then at the West, he
conld VITA much travelling. collect lees enough TO
| fill the yawning gap bet Wiki income ana out
GO, though much more than iii IT. HIS Tees In
those days were small: not SO large, perhaps. a.
more Sklfui ma1aZsme 1t might have made Them
| He writes TO Mr.. Alexander Ireland in 1917 that
the most he ever received was 800 for ten lect
ures: in Boston. $50: IN the country ycenms $40
and ira Yelling expenses Then. from the liberal
STYLE of HIS house AMI his hpuSckeeplnJ he passed.
with his nei rhbOrs Tor we-to-dO man. and palh,
his friends thought. more than faif proportion OF
the town taxes So 1t came about that al these
wears the fortIes years OF unremtted watch
! funess and somstlmes anxiety 10 Keep ont oil debt
He was very fond of his children. and indeed of
all children.
Emerson gave much more of his time and
tn ght 20 his children, from their infancy than
was usual with busy fathers IN New-Engand forty
wears ago. or is. perhaps now There IL nothing
Tho writes IN his Journal that not of the greatest
Interest IN tbs nursery. Every tear and every
smile deserves a history to say noth'hg oil ,the
stamping an screa nIng :; and he Kept record OF
their childish donrs and savings IN which these
pretty oraces are chr0nlcled Ike the anecdotes
of Putarch. Their plav and their work. their com
panons and their lessons their ont otdo1r rainble5
ard their home occupations. were objects OF his
constant care. The home discipline was never
neg &c cd though il was enforced by the gentlest
methods The beginning OLA childish quarrel out
bursts of petulance aud Stiffness. were ayerted by
requests to run into the study aud see the stove
door was shut, or to 90 TO the frOnt gate ana LOOK
at the clouds for minute
And again:
Emerson was playful and winning in his ways
with his children. but he DID not often ronp with
them, and he discouraged their devoting tine early
hours, even OF holiday. To ahuSemenL lie
taught us that NJ breakfast all must be calm and
sweet, nothing mnst jar; we must not begin the
day with light reading or games; orr hrst ana
best hours should be occupied in way 10 match
the sweet and serious morn1ng.'
From the are Of thirteen or fourteen he thought
they slOulf be encouraged as much rs possible 10
regulate their own con met He woJld put the
case. and leave them TO think aud act Tor them.
selves: ana he did rot fear To incucate even at
this are, tho whole of HIS own doctrine of self
rel ance To one of his daughters who was away
from home al school, he writes
FINISH every day aud be done With it, For
manners and for wise lining 1t il q vice To remon-
Der. You have done what you could some blunders
and absurdities no doubt creot IN; forget them as
soon as you can. Tomorrow Is new day; you
shall begin II vol aud scrcncy, aud with too
high a SPIRIT to be cumbcred with your old non.
sense. This dIy for ali tina. IA good and fair. IL
il too dear with It's hopes and INVITATIONS, to
waste moment on the rotten Yesterday
His second visit to England brought him IN con-
tact with many celebrities He was careised and
made much OF, bat he never lost his balance. lie
lectured, bnt made little money. his philosophy not
being understood by the people. On his return
homo he had to take up his old trade again. and hs
letters show the real harlshps he had to encounter
in filing his engagements. A letter from PIttsburg
has this:
PTrTsBurG. March 81 1851.
DEAR LIDIAx: / arrived here last night after
very tedious and dlslgreeabe journey from phiia-
dephil, by railway and canal. with lutte food and
less sleep; two nights being spent IN the rail-cHs
and the third on the floor OF n ca1al-bo1t. where
the cushion allowed me for n brf was crossed At tho
knees by another tier OF seepers long climbed ~
|, 50 that in the air was wreath OF legs aud tho
night. which was bad enough. wond have been far
lint hat n lraI We
could have slept standing.
Another from Springfield, Illinois. describes
equal miseries.
SPRINGFIELD H., Jan. II. 1853
Here am ! in the deep mud Of the praires, ms
shire editor. who overeStinated the strength OF
both of us, and fancod should glitter in the
and nd waders. It rains and thaws in
cessanty. and # we step of the short street we go
up 10 the shoulders. perhaps. IN mud. NV chamber
is a cabin: my fellow boardsrs are Legislators. =.
Two or threo Governors or ex-Goyernors 1.-Two in the
house. But IN the prairie we are all new men just
come. and must not stand for irIies. IT'S OF no
use then, for mo to magnify mine. But cannot
command daylight and solitude for study or for
more than n scrawl, nor. foar. will my time here
be paid for at any such rate as was promised
me-
Emerson could not speak without preparation.
His native caution made him hesitate to employ
the first words that came N mind. Mr. Cabot says:
Though he was q public speaker all his life, no
rarely attempted the smallest speech impromptu.
and never. believe. with success. | remember his
getting I'D at a dinner Of the Saturday Club on the
Shakespeare anniversary in 1864, looking about
him TRANQUILITY for minute or two, and then sit
ting down; serene and unchecked. but unable to
say word upon subject so familiar to his
thoughts from boyhood."
The burning Of his house in 1872 was
10 NJ a
bot thinks he recovered from 1t.
" II was natural that the loss of memory and Of
mental grasp which afterward noticed should
be dated from this tIme" though the disability had
begun earlier.
OF the last years OF his life it is unnecessary to
speak. After his third visit To Europe the gradual
decline of his faculties proceeded steadily. HIS
end was peaceful and happy. and he who so loved
nature and could tolerate confinement 80 little was